A Little Bit Longer
by inspired.by.music
Summary: Conect 3 is on tour for the summer with their close family friend and her daughter, Maya. But will Maya’s secret ruin a friendship or create a completely new relationship? Nate/Alex Nate/OC Shane/Mitchie 'A Little Bit Longer' redone so it is now legal
1. On the Road

**A/N: I change the character names so this story is now legal. btw mr and mrs gray have the same names as mr and mrs jonas, but they dont come in until the later chapters.**

**Chapter 1: On the Road**

How would you like to know Connect 3? Not just know them, but go on tour with them. Maya has been a friend of the Gray family since, well, since she was born. Her father was a friend of their father, before he passed eight years ago. Sounds cool, right? Well what if you'd been in love with one of them since you were ten and they had no idea? It kills Maya every time he introduces her as his 'best friend' or tells her, he loves her like a sister. Nate and Maya were born two weeks apart, they celebrated their birthdays together until they were eight.

When they were little they'd make-up plays and perform them for their families, but he never once noticed how much she really loves him. She wants to burst into tears every time she sees him, but somehow she manages to get through. She's tried to get over it because she knows it affects their friendship, but she just can't. It was the third week into Connect 3' Sumer Tour and Maya was sitting in the front of the tour bus, which was more like a huge RV than a bus. They were on their way to Chicago from Detroit. She stayed in a different bus then the boys of course, but during the day, she'd go and hang out on their bus. The boys were at the other end of the bus working on a new song and Maya was working on a song of her own. She was thinking about Nate, about his warm brown eyes, and his dark curly hair.

A smile stretched across her face as she remembered the time Shane chased Nate with a hair straightener. Then she though about his smile, he had a killer smile. She melted every time she saw it. The lyrics seemed to write themselves as she continued to pour her heart out on the paper.

_Got the news today  
But they said I had to stay  
A little bit longer and I'll be fine  
When I thought it'd all be done  
When I thought it'd all been said  
A little bit longer and I'll be fine.  
But you don't know what you got 'til it's gone  
And you don't know what it's like to feel so low  
And every time you smile you laugh you glow  
You don't even know, know, know.  
You don't even know_

All this time goes by  
Still no reason why  
A little bit longer and I'll be fine.  
Waitin' on a cure  
But none of them are sure  
A little bit longer and I'll be fine  
But you don't know what you got 'til it's gone  
You don't know what its like to feel so low.  
And every time you smile you laugh you glow  
You don't even know, know, know.  
You don't even know, know, know.  
You don't even know, no

And you don't know what you got 'til it's gone.  
Don't know what it's like to feel so low, yeah!  
And every time you smile you laugh you glow  
You don't even know! Yeah! Whoa!

So I'll wait 'til kingdom come.  
All the highs and lows are gone.  
A little bit longer and I'll be fine.  
I'll be...fine

Tears began to roll down Maya's face and breathing became hard as she read over the words. Every heartbeat hurt and she began to quietly sob. "Maya?" Maya looked up into the brown eyes of her caring friend. "What's the matter?" Maya put the piece of paper on her lap under the table. Nate took a step toward her.

"Nate… please."

"Maya, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." Maya sucked in a breath and tried to stop crying, which only made her cry harder. She stood up and turned so her back was to him.

"What's in your hand?"

"Please… just leave me… me alone." Maya stuttered through the sobs.

"I can't until I know what's wrong." Maya quickly thought of the only place on the tour bus she'd be left alone. The bathroom. Maya walked quickly past Nate to the back of the bus and locked herself in the bathroom. Nate had followed her and Jason and Shane were watching.

"What's wrong with Maya?" Shane asked.

"I don't know." Nate answered. Maya came out of the bathroom with a tearstained face about five minutes later and all three of the boys were waiting for her. She took a deep breath.

"I'd like to go back on the other bus, please." Her voice was just as stained with tears as her face. Nate, not sure what else to do, nodded and walked to the front of the bus to tell the driver. They stopped at the next truck stop and Maya got on the other bus. Her mom questioned her when she got on the bus, but Maya blew her off and lied down on her bed. They had been on the road again for twenty minutes when Maya realized that she had left the paper on the bathroom sink. It was another two hours before they stopped again and Maya refused to get off the bus, but she wasn't expecting Nate to come on her bus. Nate knocked on the wooden railing of her bed and pulled back the curtain.

Maya tried to pretend she was sleeping, but he could always tell when she was faking. "Maya, I know you're not asleep." Maya opened her eyes. Nate handed her the piece of paper and smiled a little bit. "I found it on the sink. I'm so sorry, we all miss him, but we couldn't even imagine the pain you must feel." Nate thought the song was about her dad. Sharp pain shot through her stomach and a tear ran down her face.

Nate brushed it away and Maya gave him a small smile. She relished the moment his skin touched hers, but the moment passed all too soon. "Thank you." Maya wanted so bad to tell him everything, but she just couldn't. She sat up on the bed. "Thank you." She repeated as she began to cry again. Nate crawled onto the bed and embraced her as she cried.

Maya's heart began to beat faster as her chest tightened. He was holding her so tenderly trying to comfort her. The tears continued to fall for ten more minutes before Maya calmed down. "Do you want to do something? To get your mind off things?"

"Sure."

"How about some dancing?" Maya smiled. Nate knew her so well. She loved anything to do with music, especially dancing.

"Yeah." They both climbed off the bed and headed for the small room-like space at the back of the bus they used for hanging out and stuff. Nothing was really in the room except a table that folded into the wall with seats connected to it and a stereo system that was built into the wall. Nate folded the table and Maya got the music ready. She loved to dance, hip-hop mostly and also did some break dancing. Maya started dancing to the music. When she danced, she was in her own world, her mind was cleared of everything and she focused on executing her moves with precision. Nate was dancing with her now, he danced good, but not like Maya.

Their dancing soon turned into a dance-off. Maya won of course, but it was fun never the less. Within an hour, they were both tired of dancing, so they pulled out the table and sat down. Maya watched as a bead of sweat streamed from Nate's hairline, down the bridge of his nose, and dripped onto the table. Nate wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. Sweat made a dark ring on his T-shirt as it slowly ran down his neck. Maya wanted to take him in her arms and kiss him, her body was screaming for his soft touch, but she simply sat there starring off into space. Her train of thought was interrupted when she felt his hand softly touch hers.

"…Did you hear that? Maya?" Maya gasped and blinked herself back to earth.

"Hmm?"

"Your mom just came in here. We're in Chicago. We'll be at the hotel in five minutes." Maya stood up and so did Nate.

"Alright."


	2. Home Movies

**Chapter 2: Home Movies**

An hour later, they were settled into the hotel, now it was time to relax. It was eight o'clock at night and everyone had to be up by eight the next day. Maya and her mom shared a room that joined with the Gray' room. Maya's mom, and Mr. and Mrs. Gray went to a restaurant to 'get away from the crazy teenagers' and left them at the hotel. Maya had her room all to herself, so she decided to pop in a movie. It was a home movie of her and Nate when they were little. She carried this particular tape with her everywhere.

There were more at her house, but this one was her favorite. About halfway through the movie she heard a noise that didn't belong to her or the movie. She turned and looked at the door that joined her room with the boys'. Shane stood leaning against the doorframe. Suddenly worried that Nate was watching too, she flipped off the TV. "Where's Nate?"

"Him and Jason went down to get some ice and take a look at the gift shop." Shane walked in and sat down on the couch across from the chair Maya was sitting in. "You love him, don't you?"

"What? You mean Nate? He's like a brother to me."

"Don't act like you don't. That song you wrote, it's about Nate. The reason you were crying, it was all Nate." He knew. There was point in trying to deny it.

"Does Nate know?" Shane shook his head.

"He thinks it was all about your dad."

"Good."

"Good?"

"Nate can't know. You have to promise you won't tell him. It'll ruin everything if he finds out."

"Or it'll make everything better for both of you."

"Please Shane, you can't tell him. Please."

"I won't tell him, but you should."

"No, I shouldn't. If I tell him it'll make everything weird between us."

"Unless he feels the same way."

"No, he doesn't. He's made it perfectly clear that he loves me like a sister, nothing else."

"Things aren't always what they seem, Maya."

"What does that mean?"

"I'm just saying Nate's a pretty complex guy, and is not one to flaunt his feeling. I even have trouble knowing how he feels sometimes." Maya stood up.

"Just don't tell him alright." She opened the door to go for a walk, but Nate and Jason were standing there. Nate and Jason were both in there swimsuits, holding a towel, and Nate had a stupid grin on his face.

"Swimming anyone?" Maya shook her head.

"Not right now." She squeezed through the doorway past Nate and Jason and walked down the hall. Nate looked at Shane.

"What's wrong with Maya?" Shane just shrugged his shoulders.

"I dunno." Nate threw his towel at Shane and followed Maya down the hallway.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I just have a headache." Nate nodded, trying not to show how disappointed he was.

"Alright, I'll see you later then." Nate walked back down the hall to his brothers and once Maya was sure they were gone, she went back to her room. She sat down and pressed play. About twenty minutes later, the movie was over and her mom came back.

"Where's the boys."

"At the pool."

"Why didn't you go down with them?"

"I wanted to finish the movie I was watching, it's over now, so I'm gonna head down." Her mom nodded. Maya got her bathing suit on and walked down to the pool.


	3. Chicken

**Chapter 3: Chicken**

The pool was empty except for the three boys splashing around in the deep-end. Nate was the first to notice that she was there.

"She decided to join us!" Shane and Jason stopped fighting momentarily to acknowledge she was there.

"Hi." Shane said right before he was thrust underwater by Jason.

"So your head feels better?"

"What? Oh, yeah, I took some Advil." When Shane resurfaced, Maya cannonballed into the water, splashing water on all three of them.

"Hey, no fair." Jason called, wiping the water from his face, when suddenly Maya felt her feet go out from under her and someone was pulling her underwater. She opened her eyes and caught a glimpse of her attacker, Nate. They wrestled under the water for a moment until Maya kicked his shoulder and he released her long enough for her to rise to the surface. Nate came up a few feet away, but before he could do anything both of his brothers were on him. Shane dunked him and held him under water for a few seconds, and then Jason lifted him above the water. "You don't dunk girls!" He said as he threw Nate into the water.

Nate swam behind Maya before he resurfaced. "Don't let them get me!"

"Oh, so now you want me to protect you?" Maya said laughing.

"I don't wanna die!" Nate yelled as Shane came at him. Maya cut Shane off guard by kicking his feet from under him and pushing him under water, but he turned in the water and pulled Maya under. Shane resurfaced before Maya. "I though you're not supposed to dunk girls."

"Jason said that, not me. Besides, she attacked me first." Maya came back up.

"How about we play a friendly game of chicken?" Nate suggested.

"Fine." Jason agreed. "But it's me and Shane against you and Maya."

"That's not fair!" Nate declared.

"Stop whining and get on my shoulders." Maya said challengingly. Nate looked at the confident girl.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Nate said concerned by what his brothers might do to her.

"Just do what Maya says." Shane said.

"Yeah, she's probably stronger than you anyway." Jason added. Nate unwilling climbed onto Maya's shoulders and Shane got on Jason's shoulders.

"Go." The four of them said at the same time. Shane and Nate immediately linked arms, trying to throw the other off-balance, but Maya had her own strategy.

"Ah! My leg!" She screamed. Everyone froze for a second.

"Get off her stupid!" Shane yelled at Nate, but before Nate could respond, Maya pushed Jason sending him and Shane into the water. Nate smiled.

"That's my Maya!" Jason and Shane both came up coughing.

"Cheap shot!" Shane said.

"I wanna do-over." Jason added.

"Fine, you big babies. Get ready."

"Wait." Nate said. "I wanna be on bottom this time." Nate fell back off Maya's shoulders and Maya climbed onto his shoulders.

"Go." They said together again. Maya reached out and tickled Shane's stomach. Shane jerked back causing both him and Jason to fall back into the water.

"You guy's wanna play again, or are you tired of getting beat by a girl?" Maya asked after they resurfaced.

"You cheat." Shane whined.

"How can I cheat if there are no rules?"

"Fine." Jason said. "No pretending to be hurt and no tickling." Shane climbed onto Jason's shoulders.

"Let's do it." Nate said.

"Go." Shane and Maya linked arms. Jason pushed Nate, but Nate kept a firm foothold. They went at it for two more minutes, when Jason was finally victorious in pushing Nate and Maya back, but Maya kept a hold on Shane and they all fell into the water.

"Even when we loose, you guys still loose." Nate laughed.

"We didn't loose. You guys hit the water first." Jason corrected.

"How about this, the fist team to swim to the other end of the pool wins." Maya suggested.

"That's not fair. You've gotten mettles for swimming." Shane pointed out.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Are you afraid of getting beat by a girl?" Maya teased.

"Yes, yes I am." Shane answered. Nate felt a light squeeze on his arm. Maya was telling him to attack. She glanced over at him and they both smiled. Maya looked at Shane, he knew that look all to well, they were going to get Jason and she wanted his help. At the same time, they all charged Jason, holding him under for a lengthy dunk. They let him come up and catch his breath.

"Argh. Mutiny." Jason sputtered at Shane. When he had regained his breath, he took one brother in each arm and held them under the water. Maya jumped on his back and grabbed two fistfuls of hair. She pulled his head back causing his grip on the boys to release. Shane and Nate came back up, but there was no hope for Maya. Jason reached behind him and lifted Maya over his head.

He tossed her into the water, but he was once again attacked by Shane and Nate. The war lasted for the remainder of the time they were in the water, but when it was ten o'clock, they were forced out of the water by the hotel staff. They laughed as they tracked water all the way up to their rooms. They said goodnight and went into their own rooms.


	4. Headaches, Heartbreaks, and the Power

**Chapter 4: Headaches, Heartbreaks, and the Power of Love**

The next day Nate, Shane, and Jason preformed in Chicago, with special appearances by Alex Russo and Mitchie Torres. After the concert was over Maya, Mitchie, Alex, Nate, Shane, and Jason were all hanging out backstage. They lounged on the three couches in the spacious room. Maya sat next to Jason, but couldn't keep her eyes off Nate. Alex kept touching him and laughing, and he was laughing with her. A pang of jealousy hit Maya's chest every time Alex touched him. Maya had finally had enough. She stood up and quietly slipped out of the room, down the hall and into another empty room.

She lowered herself onto a chair and rested her head on the table. _"Stop it."_ She told herself. _"Stop putting yourself through this. Just stop loving him." _But it wasn't that simple, not even close. Maya couldn't just stop loving him. She had tried to before, the worst week of her life, besides when her dad died.

For some reason, she didn't want to stop loving him. Maybe, maybe if she loved him enough, he'd notice and he'd love her the way she loved him, but that wasn't possible. Was it? "Maya." A voice tore her from her thoughts, and she lifted her head. "Why'd you leave?" Nate was always so concerned about her, which would be wonderful, if it was because he loved her as she loved him.

"Headache." Headache was her excuse for many things now.

"Again? Maybe you should go to the doctor or something. You have headaches a lot." More concern.

"Nah, I'm fine. You go have fun."

"It's not as fun without my best friend." Pain filled Maya's chest.

"Sorry, but my head really does hurt."

"Alright, when you feel better come join us." Maya nodded and Nate left the room. She wanted to scream, she wanted to punch something, but she simply rested her head on the cool metal table. About twenty minutes later, they were heading back to the hotel in the limo, with Alex and Mitchie accompanying them. Maya tried to distract herself by watching the city go by through the window of the limo. When they arrived at the hotel Nate and Alex paired off and so did Shane and Mitchie. Maya walked behind the two pairs and Jason soon joined her, feeling like a fifth wheel.

"They make cute couples, don't they?" Jason smiled, but Maya only nodded. "Is something wrong?"

"No." Maya said shaking her head. "Just tired." She hated how natural lying had become. The group stopped when they reached the pool, but Maya continued up to her room. Her mom was gone again with Mr. and Mrs. Gray and everyone else was at the pool. Now she was really alone. Maya flicked on the light and sat down on the edge of her bed.

She pulled the piece of paper from her pocket and starred at the words sloppily scribbled in the quick strokes of a pen. Her chest tightened as she realized Nate could never love her as she loved him. Sorrow engulfed her body and her shoulders began to shake. Maya lied back on the bed and cried herself to sleep. She awoke the next morning to her mother shaking her shoulders. "Maya! I told you to get up an hour ago! Come on!"

Maya sat up. "Wha?"

"We have to be on the bus in ten minutes." Maya jumped out of the bed and shambled to the bathroom. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were red and puffy. She managed to force a brush through her hair and use the toilet before her mom rushed her to the bus. Maya ran into Shane and stumbled back.

"Oh, sorry Shane."

"It's…" Shane looked at Maya. "Whoa. Rough night?" Maya knew he was referring to her puffy bloodshot eyes.

"I couldn't sleep." Shane knew it was more than that, but now wasn't the time to press into it any further. "I'll see ya." Maya climbed the stairs to her bus, walked to her bed, and lied down. She awoke again around noon and decided to finally get out of bed around one. She made her way to the back of the bus and sat down at the table. Life with Connect 3 was no longer light and easy as it once was. Everything was complicated, Shane knew more than he should have, Nate didn't know enough, and Jason was completely ignorant of the situation.

But once again, Nate's voice tore Maya from her thoughts. "There's my Maya." Maya loved it when he referred to her as 'my Maya'. Nate sat down in the seat across from Maya. "I didn't get to catch up with you last night. Is your head better?"

"Yeah, much better. Did you and Alex have fun?" Nate blushed a little and smiled.

"Yes, Can I tell you something?"

_I really wish you wouldn't._ Maya thought. "Of course."

"I really like Alex and I think she likes me. At least I hope she does, I mean how awesome would that be!"

"Totally awesome." Maya answered as enthusiastically as her heart would let her.

"I know, right? I don't think I've ever felt like this! It's just so… so…"

"So immensely perfect in every way, but at the same time completely frightening because you're not sure how they'll react because your feelings are so strong, too strong for words. And it takes every ounce of strength you have not to run up and kiss them every time you see them, which even though it's every day seems never enough." The words just seemed to pour out of her mouth before she realized what she was saying, or who she was talking to. Nate just looked at her astounded.

"Yeah. Exactly. How did… Is there something, or someone you haven't told me about?" Nate said in an almost giddy tone. Quivering with happiness for both himself and his friend, who both seemed to have found love. Love, such a wonderful and terrifying word.

"No. I just… was watching this, uh… movie… and…"

"Come on Maya, you've never been good at lying."

_You have no idea._ "Really Nate, it's no one."

"Alright. Don't tell me who he is. I'm not offended, just because my best friend of sixteen years, whom I share everything with, won't tell me one little thing…"

"You don't know him."

"Who do you know that I don't?"

"He's a guy that I went to camp with last year. I saw him again before we left for the tour." Nate was a very bright person, but Maya was hoping he'd buy it.

"And you see this boy everyday?" No such luck. "Everyday. Oh my god! It's Shane, isn't it?" Maya shook her head.

"Please, just leave it alone Nate."

"You like Shane? Or Jason? Or…" Nate's voice trailed off, everything made since now, even the song. "Maya…"

"I told you to drop it." Maya said standing up to leave the room. Nate stood after her.

"Maya…"

"Stop Nate. Its okay, really it is. I'm really happy for you and I hope Alex loves you just as much as you love her." Maya walked out of the room and crawled back into her bed. She pulled the curtain closed and cried silently into her pillow. Nate sat back down at the table. He didn't know what to do. His best friend loves him, and obviously very strongly, but he loves Alex.

He hated how much this was hurting Maya, but he didn't love her, not in that way. Right? Tears rolled down his cheeks and he rested his head in his hands.

**A/N: Okay, so I have up to chapter 10 witten on this story, but I'm not updating until I get at least five reviews...mwahahaha! so if you wanna know what happens next, review!**


	5. Strangers

**A/N: So i deided to update, even though I only got 2 reviews :( so review! please!**

**Chapter 5: Strangers**

Maya kept her distance from Nate for the next few days, every time she saw him pain swelled in her stomach. She knew nothing would be the same if he found out, she even knew he'd find out eventually, but she was hoping she'd be over him by then. That by the time he knew it would just be something to laugh and joke about. Maya avoided him making an excuse to leave every time he came within ten feet. She knew he wanted to talk to her, Shane had told her, Nate had tried to tell her, but it was too soon. For three days Shane and her mom were the only people she had talked to, but most of the time she kept to herself. It was the day before Connect 3 would play in New Orleans and it had been over a week since Maya had talked to Nate. It was seven in the morning and she was sitting in her hotel room, once again by herself.

The boys were at rehearsal and her mom was out with Mr. and Mrs. Gray again. She was looking over her song as tears rolled down her face, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Maya jumped out of the chair and spun, facing the person who had touched her. Maya immediately headed for the door. "Maya, please talk to me." Maya didn't answer and continued walking. Nate grabbed her arm and made her face him. "Maya, please."

Maya jerked her arm from his grasp, but didn't make another move. "What?" The word came out more harshly than Maya intended, but she was trying to mask the pain. Nate's mouth opened, but he couldn't find any words. "Then just let me leave."

"Why? Why do you always want to leave?"

"What if Alex loved you, but only as a brother. And everyday, without knowing how much it killed you, she reminded you of that. A brother, a best friend, but nothing more. It would be okay right? You'd just keep telling yourself, as long as she doesn't find out how I feel everything will be okay. Even though it hurts, I'll live because more than anything you want her to be happy. But then one day she does find out and she looks at you like you've lost your mind. How would you react?"

Tears streamed down both of their faces. "I'd hide." Nate finally answered. A short pause. "I'm sorry Maya. I'm so sorry."

"I know, but right now, I just can't be your friend." Maya walked out of the room and tears blurred her vision as she walked down the hallway. She ran into someone, but her vision was so blurred she couldn't see their face. "I'm sorry."

"Maya?" It was Shane. He wrapped his arms around her and she began to cry harder. "It's okay." He said as he rubbed his hand up and down her back. Shane saw Nate walk out from the room, tears rolling down his face. Nate headed in the opposite direction and Shane started to walk Maya toward her room. Shane sat on the couch with Maya.

He got Maya to calm down, then asked, "What happened?"

"I told him… I'm not his friend as of right now."

"Maya…"

"You don't have to say it. I know how horrible of a thing it was to do. How bad he probably already felt, but it did happen and now I have no relationship with Nate."

"I was just going to say that you did what was best for you at the moment and even though it's in your nature to put other people before yourself, you did what needed to be done."

"I didn't have to do it."

"Then what were you going to do? Nate's my brother and I love him, but some things take time and your guys' friendship is going to take some time." Maya rested her head against Shane's shoulder.

"I don't know if I can do it, Shane. I know I can pretend not to love him, but I don't think I can truly get over him. Our friendship will never be the same."

"But isn't it worth trying?" Maya nodded. Somehow, she convinced herself it was for the best. It was better this way anyway, wasn't it? They were too young to be serious and she would just end up broken hearted anyway, at least that what she told herself.

**Whadya think?? TELL ME!! REVIEW!!**


	6. Severed Bonds

Chapter 6: Severed Bonds

**A/N: Ok, so this chapter is pretty short, but quite a bit happens.**

**Chapter 6: Severed Bonds**

Nate walked down the hall to the elevator. He didn't know where he was going, but he had to go somewhere. He'd just lost his best friend and didn't know what to do. What did he just do? Nate walked into the elevator, glad it was empty. He leaned against the back of the elevator and sighed. Finally, the elevator hit the lobby and Nate stepped out. He began to walk down the hall, toward the hotel's entrance, when he noticed two girls, about twelve or thirteen, following him.

"It's Nate Gray!" One of the girls yelled. Nate bolted for the door. A few more girls followed, but none went past the parking lot. Nate looked behind him and was relieved to see the girls walking back to the hotel. He walked down the street and stopped at the first clothing store he saw. He bought a hat, a pair of dark sunglasses, and a scarf. Nate left the store and started walking further down the street.

It was a secluded town on the outskirts of New Orleans. They picked that hotel hoping to have less trouble with the paparazzi and fans, and it they did, a little bit anyway.

Meanwhile

Pots and pans jingled as two men in a chef's truck pulled to a stop in a hotel parking lot. "You sure this is the hotel Connect 3 is staying in?" Carlos, the man in the driver's seat asked.

"Yes." Carlos's partner, Lyle, answered. "You got the 'hardware'?" Carlos nodded and pulled a silenced .9 millimeter semi-automatic from his pocket.

"Of course. What room?"

"500 and 502. Both are Presidential Suites, Lucky for us they're the only two occupied rooms on the top floor."

"Let's do it." Carlos attached the gun to it's holder inside his jacket and the two men walked in through the back door of the hotel. They took the elevator up to the fifth floor and knock on the door of room 500. No answer. "Let's try 502." The walked down the hall a few steps and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" The voice of a young woman came through the door.

"Room service." Maya opened the door and two men dressed in red uniforms walked in the room pushing a cart with trays on it into the room. Shane had gotten up to go to the bathroom and was just coming back into the room. The two men pushed the cart to the other side of the room.

"Who is it?" Shane asked walking up next to Maya.

"Room service." Shane watched silently as the two men set up the table and revealed the food.

"Did you order this?" Shane whispered to Maya and she shook her head. Shane's eyes widened with fear and Maya realized what she had done by opening the door. These men weren't room service. Shane motioned Maya toward the door. Maya sprinted for the door and Shane wasn't far behind, when she heard the sound of a silenced bullet. She had seen to much CSI, they weren't really shooting at her, were they? Another bullet.

Yes, they were definitely shooting. They didn't have a good shot because they were rounding the corner. Shane was running beside her, when Maya felt a hot bullet slice through the skin on her right thigh. She squealed with pain and reeled forward, falling to the ground. By the time Shane reacted, it was too late. The men already had Maya in their cruel arms with a gun to her head, stopping Shane in his tracks. "Please, don't hurt her! Take me!" Shane pleaded.

A thought ran through Carlos' head. _Any person Shane Gray would give his own life for had to be worth twice as much._ "You don't want me to hurt her, than I suggest you don't move from that spot until we're in the parking lot. Cause if I see anyone trying to stop us, I'll shoot her where she stands." Carlos and Lyle walked backwards toward the elevator and Shane stood still as a statue. They disappeared into the elevator with Maya.

**Like how it ended? Hehe… cliffy, you might hate me, but I probably won't be updating this story for a few days. It all depends on you guys. So REVIEW!!**


	7. Chaos is Contagious

**okay, so heres chapter seven. R&R!! I'LL REPEAT MYSELF! REVIEW!!**

**Chapter 7: Chaos is Contagious**

As soon as the doors shut, Shane snatched the cell phone from his pocket. He quickly dialed and Jason picked up on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Jason! Where are you?!"

"At the gift shop in the lobby. What's up?" Even though Shane's voice screamed urgency, Jason was used to it, because Shane sounded like that when he can't find his hairdryer.

"Maya is gone!"

"Chill baby bro. I'm sure she's around here somewhere."

"No! You don't understand! Two guys just came up to the room and took her!"

"What?! Where? How long ago?"

"They're probably not even out of the building yet."

"Then what are we doing? We have to get Maya!"

"We can't! They said if they see anyone following them they'd shoot her."

"They're bluffing."

"Are you willing to take that chance? Cause I'm not!"

"Okay, they're doing this for ransom money right? So they should be getting in touch with us within the next 24 hours."

"If they were doing it for money, wouldn't they take me?"

"I don't know. Maybe they figured it was less risk to take Maya. I'm almost to the room don't move." The line went dead and Shane shoved the phone back into his pocket. He began to pace the hall, when Jason walked out of the elevator at the other end of the hall. "Which way did they leave?" Shane pointed to the elevator the two men had taken Maya into. "So that means they probably parked on this side of the hotel."

"What are you, a detective?"

"I like Law and Order." Jason walked to the window that over looked part of the parking lot. They saw a white van with some sort of logo backing out of a parking space. "Look that has to be it."

"But we can't know for sure. It could be a customer."

"That just happens to own a van that has no windows in the back and is leaving just minutes after Maya was kidnapped. Some coincidence."

"Good point."

"Okay, it's too far away to see the license plate, but we have what the van looks like, what direction it's going in, and do you think you could describe the men?"

"Yeah, definitely."

"Now, we have to call Maya's mom and Nate. I'll call her mom." Jason said as if it would be better to hear her reaction than Nate's. Jason walked into the hotel room to call Maya's mom, leaving Shane in the hallway to call Nate. Shane called Nate's cell twice with no answer, but finally on the third call Nate picked up.

"What?"

"Nate, I have to talk to you. Where are you?"

"At the coffee shop up the rode from the hotel."

"Alone?"

"Yes."

"You need to come back right away, or actually I'll come to you. What is the name of the coffee shop?"

"Listen, if it's about Maya. I don't want to hear it alright."

"It is about Maya, but it's not what you think."

"And what do I think? Tell me Shane, what do I think?" Nate was hurt, and he was taking it out on Shane.

"We don't have time for this, just come back to the hotel alright?"

"I'm not coming back to the hotel, not yet."

"Please Nate, this really isn't something I want to tell you over the phone."

"What? Are you in _love_ with her or something? I don't care." Nate hung up and Shane called him four more times before Nate answered again. "What?!"

"Maya's been kidnapped." There was a short pause.

"What?" Nate's voice softened dramatically.

"Come back to the hotel so I can fill you in on the details."

"Kidnapped? How…? Why…? When…?"

"Are you coming back?"

"Yes damn it! Tell me!"

"I really think we should talk when you get here."

"I'll be there in two." Nate hung up and Shane walked into the hotel room. Jason was already off the phone.

"How'd she take it?"

"She started crying then yelled something in Chinese."

"Dude, she speaks German."

"Whatever. Then said she was heading down to the police station. When Nate gets here, we should go down too. So how'd Nate take it?"

"Surprisingly well. Not like him. Usually when something like this happens he explodes."

"When has something like this ever happened?"

"I mean some sort of crisis, maybe nothing _this_ extreme. But I guarantee once he finds out all the details, like her being shot…"

"Shot! She was shot!"

"Oh, I didn't mention that?"

"No!"

"They shot her in the thigh. I think it just grazed her though."

"Just! You seem rather calm!"

"I'm not calm."

"I know. You're the weird one. This is how you freak out. You keep it all bottled up, then at one moment you'll blow up everywhere." Nate ran in the room, sweat poured down his face. He'd run the entire way there.

"What the fuck is going on!"

"Watch your mouth!" Jason said out off habit.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's not like my best friend was just kidnapped. Oh, wait. Yeah it is!"

"We gotta get to the police station, we're meeting Connie and mom and dad there." Shane said.

"Good. You can tell me everything on the way." The boys flagged down a taxi and climbed into the backseat.

"The police station." Jason told the taxi driver.

"The details?" Shane looked at the taxi driver then back at Nate.

"How about we wait until we get there? I'll have to tell the police anyway."

"Shane. Tell me." Shane explained what happened in a long run-on sentence, but Nate stopped him when he got to the part about Maya being shot. "Shot! What the hell? You didn't tell me she got shot!" All of the sudden the cab driver interrupted them as if he hadn't heard a word they said.

"You're Connect 3, aren't you?" All three of them looked at the man.

"Yes." They said is unison.

"My daughter loves you boys! I wonder could I get an autograph."

"Now's not a good time." Nate answered as the taxi pulled up to the police station. Jason gave the taxi a fifty-dollar bill.

"How about you keep the change and not tell anyone we're here." The cabby agreed and the boys ran into the police station. They saw their parents waiting as Connie tried to get someone to listen to her without waiting in the line of seven people. Finally, an officer came up to her and asked her what the problem was.

"My daughter has been kidnapped!" Connie yelled.


	8. Adrenaline or Insulin

**Chapter 8: Adrenaline or Insulin**

The entire room seemed to stop moving. Everything slowed, when the officer broke the silence. "Did anyone witness the abduction?" Connie nodded and pointed to Shane. The officer walked up to Shane. "You're going to need to come with me, son." Shane simply nodded. Jason put his hand on the back of Shane's shoulder, as a reassuring gesture, then Shane walked off with the officer followed by Connie.

Nate's legs froze under him, he couldn't move. Reality hit him like a 2x4 to the chest. Being in the Police Station, Shane being taken for questioning, everything became more real. Was this really happening? His mom and dad approached and his mom wrapped her arms around him. "I'm so sorry baby." His dad put his hand on Nate's shoulder.

"The officer suggested we go back to the hotel in case the men who did this try to get a hold of us. Would you like to come with us or stay here?" It took a minute for the question to register in his mind.

"I'll go."

"Jason, stay here and wait for Shane." Jason nodded and sat down in one of the chairs.

The officer led Shane down the hall, past some desks, piled with paper work, and into a small room. "I need you to tell me everything that happened."

"Okay, so Maya…"

"That's the girl who was kidnapped." Shane nodded.

"Maya Trebly." The officer jotted the name down and Shane continued talking. "So Maya had just gotten into a fight with my bother, Nate, and I was with her trying to make her feel better…"

"So is Nate Maya's boyfriend?"

"No. They've been best friends since forever and that's what the fight was about. Nate found out Maya likes him more than just a friend… Does this really matter?"

"No. Just continue with the story. So me and Maya were in the hotel room and I had gotten up to go to the bathroom, when someone knocked on the door. Two men, claiming to be room service entered the room with a tray of food. I came out of the bathroom, realizing that neither me nor Maya had ordered anything, I told Maya to run and I ran after her. The one man had a gun and chased us. We had almost rounded the corner, when one of the bullets grazed Maya's thigh."

"She was injured?"

"Yes. Before I could get to her, the men had her and threatened to kill her, if I followed them. And that's about it."

"Do you think you could describe the men?"

"Yeah. The guy with the gun was Mexican. He had short black hair, a small black mustache, and dark eyes. He was probably in his early thirties and between 6 and 6'2, sorta tall for a Mexican. Oh and he had a scar from above right eye to halfway down his cheek. And I didn't get a very good look at the other guy, but he was probably in his mid-twenties with sandy-blonde hair and no taller than me."

"Great. I'll have our sketch artist come in here and you can work with her, alright?" Shane nodded and a few minutes later, a woman entered the room.

Nate and his parents arrived at the hotel within ten minutes and Nate waited impatiently for the elevator. Finally, Nate gave up on the elevator and ran up the stairs. He reached the room before his parents, who had waited for the elevator. Nate paced beside the bed hoping for the phone to ring. His parents sat on the bed hand in hand. "Nate, sit down. Rest for a minute." Nate ignored his mother and continued to pace.

"Nate…"

"Just let him walk, honey." Two hours passed, still no call. Nate was still pacing, when the phone suddenly rang. Nate jumped for the phone and pressed it to his ear.

"Hello?" Nate asked.

"Hey, Nate."

"Damn it, Shane! What?!"

"Don't talk like that!" His mother exclaimed in the background.

"They're letting me come back. Me and Jason will be there in ten."

"Fine, just don't call the hotel phone, call my cell next time."

"I tried your cell phone, it was busy."

"See ya in ten." Nate hung up the phone and turned toward his parents. "Shane and Jase will be back in ten." Nate pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. Why would it have been busy? A number Nate didn't recognize was flashing on the screen. Did they have his cell phone number? Of course, they had Maya.

Nate pressed the talk button and pressed the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hello Nate." The voice was rough and held a slight Mexican accent. "We've been trying to get a hold of you. Let's cut to the chase. Five hundred thousand dollars for the girl. You've got an hour to decide." The line went dead and Nate faced his parents once again.

"They want five hundred thousand dollars." Silence filled the room and his mom's mouth hung open.

"Baby…"

"Don't mom. Just don't." Nate walked into to the other joining room. Maya's room. Nate walked to the other side of the room and ran his hands through his hair. "Shit!" He kicked the wall, then fell back on the bed. Swearing wasn't like Nate, but these kind of situations brought the worst out in people.

But still, Nate only acted like this when he didn't… Insulin! He hadn't taken his shot! Suddenly he felt light headed, but he managed to yell, "Shane!" Before everything went black. Nate always yelled for Shane when he was having problems with his diabetes. Maybe it was because Shane had been the first one to find him when he had his first episode. Maybe it was because Shane sat with him in the hospital until mom made him go home and sleep. Maybe it was because Shane helped Nate with his shots, despite Shane's fear of needles.

Whatever the reason, he always called Shane. Nate's eyes blinked open as someone poured orange juice down his throat. "Come on, Natey." It was Shane. Mom, dad, and Jason stood around the bed waiting for Nate to regain consciousness. Nate moaned and sat up.

"Wha…What happened." Shane wrapped his arms around his little brother.

"You forgot to take your Insulin and I'm sure the fact that you haven't ate all day didn't help." Shane pulled away from Nate.

"Maya... They want five hundred thousand."

"It's okay, we'll figure it out. Finish the juice." Shane handed Nate the glass and he drink it in one large swallow. Nate climbed off the bed and went into the bathroom. His head was still in a fog, but he checked his blood sugar and took the correct amount of Insulin. Feeling better almost immediately, Nate walked out of the bathroom and retired on the couch. His parents had left the room, trying to figure out how to get five hundred thousand dollars. Nate pulled out his cell phone.

He had thirty-eight minutes until the man called back. Shane sunk into the seat on Nate's right and Jason sat on his left. "We'll figure it out." Shane reassured him. A tear raced down Nate's face.

"I can't believe this is happening. This is all my fault! If I hadn't hurt her, she wouldn't have even been in the hotel room. We'd be out having fun right now." This was more like Nate, blaming himself.

"This is not your fault, Nate. There is nothing you could've done to prevent this." Jason reasoned. Nate stood and walked out into the hallway and Shane stood to follow him, but Jason stopped him. "Just give him a minute." Nate walked down the hall, but stopped when he came across a small trail of dark spots on the carpet. Blood. Maya's blood.

Nate shuttered as he felt a sob hit his chest. He fell back against the wall and hit the ground. Tears rolled down his face, when the vibration of his phone turned his attention. It had only been thirty minutes. Nate answered the phone. "Hey Nate."

"Alex?"

"Yeah. You sound upset, is something wrong?"

"Uh… yeah actually… can I call you later?"

"I guess." Nate hung up with out another word and lurched forward as another sob rushed through his body. Tears wet his face and after a few minutes, he decided he had to do something. Nate got up and walked back into the room. He grabbed his hat, sunglasses, and scarf.

"What are you doing?" Shane asked.

"I'm going down to the police station. Maybe they have a lead, and if not I'm sure Connie could use the company."

"Do you really think it's a good idea for any of us to be going any where at the moment?"

"I can't just sit here and do nothing. The Mexican will be calling back in a half hour and tell us we need to have the money in 24 hours or some ridiculous time."

"Okay how about you wait here until they call, then after we'll do whatever you want, but right now we shouldn't leave." Jason was always the reasonable one. Nate nodded. He began to pace again. For the entire half hour, Nate paced around the room, trying to think, but his brain failed him. His phone vibrated and he answered it quickly.

"Have you made a decision, Nicholas?"

"I want to talk to Maya." The statement was bold, but he needed to hear her voice.

"Very well then."

"Nate?" Maya's voice was strained.

"Maya, it's gonna be okay. Where are you?"

"I…I don't know. Nate, please, don't give them anything. They're criminals, who knows what they'll do with it?" The phone was taken from her and Nate heard a slap.

"Maya!"

"What's your answer?" The Mexican was back.

"How long?"

"You have 72 hours to get the five hundred thousand. And you'll be receiving a call sometime soon. No Police. If you choose to go to the police or can't get the money, Maya's dead." The line went dead and Shane looked at Nate expectantly.

"So…?"

"We have 72 hours to get the money. No cops. Or Maya dies." Shock and silence filled the room. Nate felt the regret welling up in his chest. "God, I'm so stupid!"

"Nate this…"

"No, you don't understand. I love her! I love Maya. It took me a few days after she told me to admit it to myself, but I love her. I always knew in the back of my head I did, but I was too afraid to admit it, even to myself. I was afraid to hurt her and by trying not to, I hurt her more than I could possibly imagine. If I had told her the truth, none of this would've happened."

"Nate…" Tears stained Nate's face and Shane wrapped his arms around him.

"It's all my fault."

"It'll be okay, Nate. We'll get the money, somehow." Shane whispered. Jason wrapped his arms around his two brothers. They embraced each other for a minute, before pulling away. Lord knows each one of them needed it. The entire situation felt surreal. Nate was hanging on by a thread and if he didn't get some good news soon, that thread might snap.

Another sob hit Nate's chest and he fell back on the couch. Shane ruffled Nate's curly afro and him and Jason headed for the door. "We'll come back in a bit." They left Nate alone on the couch to think.

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	9. 72 Hours

**read and tell me what u think!! plz!!**

**Chapter 9: 72 Hours**

Hearing Nate's voice over the phone was music to Maya's ears, it gave her hope, but they took the phone and slapped her. Maya could hear Nate yell her name, but it was too late, the Mexican had taken it. All Maya heard of what the Mexican said was '72 hours' and 'Maya's dead'. Dead! They would kill her? The Mexican handed the disposable cell phone to the blonde guy and told him to dispose of it a few miles away. Leaving her and the Mexican alone in the… Maya didn't know where she was. The way the Mexican looked at her disturbed her, but she tried to ignore him.

At least two hours had passed since they had tied Maya to the chair, but it felt as if it had been days. Tears rolled down Maya's face and the Mexican looked at her harder. "Don't cry. A girl with such strong features shouldn't cry." Maya would have told him off, but he had re-gagged her after the phone call. "You are a very pretty girl." Maya looked down at the purity ring on her finger. She had made the promise, mostly to support Nate, Shane, and Jason, but she really didn't mind. Maya had never thought of going that far with anyone, unless she was married.

Tears fell more freely and she cringed as the Mexican touched the side of her face. "Don't touch me!" Maya tried to yell, but the piece of cloth in her mouth absorbed her words.

Nate felt tears wetting the pillow he had his face buried in. How in hell were they going to come up with 500,000 dollars in 72 hours? Someone touched his shoulder and he jerked up, hitting the back of his head against Shane's chin. Shane stumbled backwards. "Ow!"

"Sorry." Nate mumbled. Shane recuperated quickly.

"Come on Nate, we gotta get ready for the concert tonight."

"I can't go on stage tonight."

"I know you're in pain, man, but if you want to raise enough to get Maya back, then we have to do this." Nate pushed his head back into the pillow. "Come on Nate. Do it for Maya. We can even play her song tonight if you want." Nate lifted his head and jumped off the couch. He rushed into the other hotel room and started sifting through one of his many suitcases.

"Where is it?!" Nate yelled at no one, throwing items out of the suitcase, then moving onto another.

"What?" Shane asked. Nate didn't answer and continued his search. A light bulb went off in Nate's brain and he leapt to his feet, moving quickly to the other end of the room. He picked up his notebook, that he kept all his songs in and flipped to the pocket on the back. Nate pulled a single sheet of paper from the notebook and sat back on the nearest piece of furniture, the bed. He held the paper delicately in his hands, searching over the lyrics. "Is that her song?"

"Out." Nate said without looking up. Shane hesitated at the sudden, blunt command. "Out." Nate repeated with the same tone. Shane left the room. Nate reached for his acoustic that rested beside the bed and grabbed a pen from the end table. Two hours passed and Nate remained in the room without interruption. Sweat dotted this head and tears stained his cheeks, when he opened the door and let the cool air rush over him.

Nate had turned off the air conditioning in the room, he found overheating gave his songs a better quality. Shane and Jason were waiting on the couch and their parents were still out trying to raise money. His brothers had heard bits and pieces of the songs through the thin walls, but were hoping to hear more. Nate's hair was plastered to his face with sweat. He barely glanced at them and headed straight for the couch, guitar in hand. He strummed on the chords, and after three times of starting over he started to sang. Nate finished and the tears fell more freely, but he stood and walked out of the room into the hallway, leaving his guitar behind. He didn't want his brothers to see him cry.

Nate leaned against the wall, realizing how tired he was. It was only three o'clock, and they'd be leaving for the concert soon. Pain swelled in his stomach and he spoke out the question that had been stuck in his mind since Shane told him. "Why Maya, God? Why did this happen to her?" Nate wiped his face with the back of his arm and suddenly Shane was standing there.

"We gotta go Nate." Nate followed Shane and Jason down to the lobby, where they met Big Rob, then headed for the concert. Before Nate knew it, it was passed eight o'clock, and they were to go on in fifteen minutes. The entire staff got into a circle and joined hands, as they did before every concert. By time it was ten o'clock, Nate was consumed with exhaustion, but they still had one more song to sing. Nate sat down on the piano bench, but started to speak into the microphone before the song started.

"Hey, all you fans out there!" Nate tried to sound pumped but all he really wanted to do was cry. The arena filled with screams and applause, which died down when Nate started to speak again. "This song was written by…" Nate wasn't sure what to say. "The love of my life, and I hope she'd out there listening, because I want her to know, that I love her too." Finally, the only sound heard was the piano and Nate's voice.

"Got the news today  
But they said I had to stay  
A little bit longer and I'll be fine  
When I thought it'd all be done  
When I thought it'd all been said  
A little bit longer and I'll be fine.  
But you don't know what you got 'til it's gone  
And you don't know what it's like to feel so low  
And every time you smile you laugh you glow

You don't even know, know, know.  
You don't even know

All this time goes by  
Still no reason why  
A little bit longer and I'll be fine.  
Waitin' on a cure  
But none of them are sure  
A little bit longer and I'll be fine  
But you don't know what you got 'til it's gone  
You don't know what its like to feel so low.  
And every time you smile you laugh you glow  
You don't even know, know, know.  
You don't even know, know, know.  
You don't even know, no"

Finally the drums, guitar, and bass kicked in.

"And you don't know what you got 'til it's gone.  
Don't know what it's like to feel so low, yeah!  
And every time you smile you laugh you glow  
You don't even know! Yeah! Whoa!

So I'll wait 'til kingdom come.  
All the highs and lows are gone.  
A little bit longer and I'll be fine.  
I'll be...fine"

The crowd erupted in screams, but Nate barely noticed. Tears slid down his cheeks and he ran off stage running right into his mom. She put her arms around him and kissed the top of his head. "Shhhhh. It's okay, baby." Nate decided to skip the meet and greet and headed back to the hotel with his dad. Nate put his headphones in and blasted the only song that he wanted to hear at the moment. Those Nights.

…_I remember when we used to laugh about nothing at all_

_it was better than going mad trying to solve all of the problems_

_we were going through forget them all cause all those nights_

_we would stand and never fall together we faced it all…_

Just then, his phone vibrated and he pulled it from his pocket, another unknown number. "Hello?"

"Hello Nicholas. Twelve hours have passed, sixty still remain, but I've got to tell you, I'm growing impatient. So your time has been cut. You now have 48 hours." Nate was stunned.

"W…what?"

"48 hours, then Maya's dead. That clear enough for you?"

"I need to talk to her."

"No."

"Please just let me talk to her, please." Nate heard some static, then some kind of alarm in the background.

"Nate?" Nate could tell she was on the edge of tears and as soon as he heard her voice, he wanted to cry too.

"Maya."

"I'm scared Nate."

"I know. I'm gonna get you out of there." His voice was soft and reassuring

"Nate…" Maya's voice cracked, she was crying. "I…I…"

"It's okay Maya. It'll be okay, but there's something I have to tell you. I love you. I know that I'll have to explain later, but I really do love you. Please say you still love me." Nate heard muffled sobbing. "Maya?"

"I'll always love you." Nate smiled as he felt the tears wetting his cheeks.

"Hold on, okay. I'm gonna get you out of there."

"Hurry, please. I don't like the way Carlos looks at me."

"The Mexican?" But before Maya could answer, Carlos snatched the phone from her.

"Isn't that sweet?" He said sarcastically. "48 hours." The line went dead and Nate shoved the phone back into his pocket. They were back at the hotel and Nate stepped out of the car, walking side by side with his dad.

"We only have 48 hours. They changed it."

"You really love Maya?"

"More than you could ever know." Nate's dad placed a hand on Nate's shoulder and they stopped walking.

"Nate, you're my son and I love you, but Maya's like a daughter to me and if you hurt her…"

"Dad, I'm not going to hurt her. I love her, it's different."

"What about Alex?"

"Snap!" Nate hadn't given Alex a second thought since she called him earlier that morning. Nate pulled out his cell phone and walked ahead of his dad. "I'll catch up with you later, dad." He called before disappearing into the hotel lobby. He quickly dialed the familiar number.

"Hi Nate!" Alex was happy person.

"Hey Alex." Nate said sadly.

"What's wrong?"

"I need to talk to you, in person. Where are you?"

"We were just about to leave New Orleans. Why?"

"Is there anyway I can meet you somewhere before you leave?"

"Uh… hold on." Alex placed her hand against the phone for a minute. "I'll meet you at Starbucks in fifteen."

"Which Starbucks?"

"Um… it's on Woodward, I think it's pretty close to your hotel."

"Okay, I'll see you then."

"Bye." Nate hung up the phone and turned back toward the lobby door.

"Hey, dad!" He called running up to him. "I'm going to Starbucks, it's just up the road so I'll just walk."

"You know I can let you do that. I'll drop you off and you can call me when you're done." Nate knew that meant that his dad would just wait in the parking lot, but he didn't have any other choice.

"Alright, let's go." Ten minutes later Nate had ordered his drink and was sitting at a table waiting for Alex. She finally opened the door and joined him at the table.

"So what's up?" She asked. Nate didn't know what to say, he knew he had to tell her, but how?

"Well, I uh… It's um… I'm not exactly sure how to say this." A tear rolled Nate's cheek and he looked down at his hands on the table. "My uh… best friend, Maya, was kidnapped this morning. They want 500,000 dollars within 48 hours or they are going to kill her." Alex gasped and grabbed Nate's hand, but Nate pulled away. Alex starred at him, confused, and he looked up at her. "I _love_ Maya."

"Oh, okay…" Alex was on the brink of tears, just like Maya when he rejected her.

"I'm sorry…" He didn't know what else to say. Alex stood up.

"I guess I'll see you around then." She walked out the door and Nate did the same a few minutes later. He walked towards his dad's car and dropped down in the passenger seat.

"You did the right thing." His dad said.

"Then why do I feel so bad?"

"Because you're a good kid." It was silent the rest of the way to the hotel. Nate beat his dad up to the hotel room and shut himself in Maya's room. He picked up the fuzzy white teddy bear he had given to Maya for her eighth birthday and sat down on the bed. Nate hugged the bear to his chest and rested his back against the headboard. Tears streamed down his face, landing on the bear. Nate didn't know how long he had been sitting on the bed, but someone knocked on the door.

"Hey Nate, it's Jason, can I come in?" Nate didn't answer, he simply squeezed the bear tighter. Jason opened the door and joined Nate on the bed. Jason hated seeing Nate in this condition. "How are you holding up?" Nate didn't responded, but another tear leaked from his eye. "Well I've got some good news. With the work of Connie and mom, we've gotten a hold of two hundred thousand and tomorrow we plan on asking for donations. We're going to get Maya back."

"I'm worried about what will happen to her between now and then." Nate's voice was rough and raw from crying. "I talked to her on the way here and she said that she didn't like how the Mexican looks at her."

"Maya's gonna be fine Nate, just keep praying." Praying? Nate's a Christian and everything, but him and God weren't exactly on good terms. "You're mad at God?" Jason always read him so well.

"I dunno, I guess a little. I mean He's all powerful, so why did he let them take Maya?"

"I don't have all the answers, but if there's one thing I've learned in times like this, it's better to seek God than blame Him." Jason always knew the right thing to say.

"Thanks Jase." Jason smiled and looked at the bear Nate held in his arms.

"Maya still has Mr. Cuddles?" The funny thing was Shane named him. Nate nodded.

"She hasn't gone anywhere without it since I gave it to her." It was silent for a minute. "How could I have been so stupid? There were so many times that I should have been smart enough to figure out how she felt. And after I did find out how she felt I broke her heart."

"We are a stupid breed. It's amazing how women can stand us." Nate laughed. That was another thing about Jason, even being the 'all-wise older brother', he still knew how to make people laugh. Jason put his arm around Nate's shoulders.

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	10. How to Make a Strong Boy Cry

**Chapter 10: How to Make a Strong Boy Cry**

"_Maya's gonna be fine."_ Jason's words echoed in Nate's mind. It was past midnight and Nate was still lying on Maya's bed with her teddy bear. Connie refused to come back to the hotel. She was either at the police station or trying to figure out a way to get money, and Mrs. Gray was with her. The room was dark and tears still leaked from Nate's eyes as his mind raced through all of the wonderful, and some not so wonderful, memories him and Maya had. It was unbearable to think that in less than forty-eight hours that might be all he has left of Maya, memories. Nate suddenly sucked in a breath, when he realized that he was sobbing.

His body shook slightly and his chest rose heavily. Nate stood to his feet and stumbled across the room in search of the light switch. He flipped the switch and shielded his eyes from the unrelenting light. It took him a minute to adjust to the lighting, then he sat down at the desk with a pen in hand. The first few lines seemed to write themselves, but in the end, all he had written was:

_How long will I be waiting_

_To be with you again_

_Could I tell you that I love you in the best way that I can_

_I can't take a day without you here_

_You're the light that makes my darkness disappear_

Those few lines said so much though. All of the feelings he had bottled up or shoved deep down resurfaced and he knew he had to do something. Nate stood, shoving the piece of paper into his pocket and began to pace the room. They had to be somewhere close by right? Maya had said she didn't know where she was, so there probably weren't any windows wherever she was. Maybe an abandoned storehouse or something, he'd seen one too many detective shows. And what about that alarm, Nate was concentrating hard, trying to remember exactly what it sounded like. He knew he recognized it, but why?

A light-bulb went off in Nate's mind. There was a small franchise in New Jersey called Big Mama's Pizzeria. When he was really little they lived in an apartment above it and every time someone ate the 'Big Mama' the alarm would sound, they had to be extremely close to the Pizzeria for it to be that loud over the phone. Nate rushed into the other hotel room flicking on the light, not caring that Jason and Shane were sleeping, until a pillow hit Nate in his back. "Turn off the light." Shane whined. Nate ignored him and kept searching for his laptop.

"Turn off the light!" Jason yelled.

"I know where they're keeping Maya." That sentence did what nothing else had ever done, Shane and Jason got out of their beds without another complaint.

"Where?" Jason was the first to ask.

"Well, I'm not exactly sure yet, but I will be once I get connected to the internet." Nate rushed out the door headed for the lobby and Shane and Jason followed. Once on a couch in the lobby, Nate connected to the wireless internet and got on Google. He typed in, 'Big Mama's Pizzeria New Orleans' and hit enter.

"Why are you searching that?" Shane asked.

"I'll explain later, but it I'm right, it should lead us to Maya."

"And if you're wrong?" Jason asked.

"I'm not." Nate answered confidently, still searching through Google. Finally he ended up on a webpage with the contact information of Big Mama's Pizzeria. Nate scribbled the number and address onto the back of his hand and went back to Google's homepage, this time looking for some kind of picture or description of the area surrounding the Pizzeria. He found out that there was a vacant, for sale building right next to the eatery.

"This doesn't really change anything, Nate. Yeah you know where she is, but if we go there without money, Maya's dead. If we go there with the police, Maya's dead. If we go there by ourselves, Maya's dead and we will probably be too." Jason once again came in as the voice of reason.

"Jason's right, Nate. I hate to say it, but we can't go after Maya until we get the money."

"How can you say that?" Nate said standing to his feet, tears threatening his composure, but he held them back. "Do you understand what's going on here? Even if they don't kill her, Maya could be raped by the time we get the money."

"That's not..."

"How do you know? If they're capable of killing her, who know what other things they'd do to her? I heard the fear in her voice. She wouldn't have said anything if the way the Mexican looked at her didn't really bother her."

"What are we going to do Nate? If we got there empty handed, someone is going to die. Bottom line. No one likes the situation, but it is what it is." Jason said

"I can't just sit here and do nothing." Nate had the sudden urge to punch something.

"We're not doing 'nothing'. We're doing what we can to raise the money we need to save Maya's life. It's just taking some time." Shane said.

"Time is something we don't have." Nate turned and headed for the lobby door. Shane hesitated and glanced at Jason, who was making a beeline for Nate, then Shane followed.

"Nate." Jason said placing a hand on Nate's shoulder as they exited the lobby. "You can't go anywhere. I won't let you."

"Since when have you told me what to do?" Nate said harshly, turning back towards Jason. "I can do whatever, and you can't do anything about it!" Nate knew that wasn't true, but he had to go get Maya.

"Nate…" Shane started, but Nate interrupted him.

"No. I'm going and there is nothing either of you can do or say to stop me!"

"Do you love her?" After a short silence, Jason repeated himself with more clarity. "Do you love Maya?"

"Yes, that's why…"

"Do you want her to die?"

"What? How could you even…"

"If you don't want her to die then why are you creating a situation that puts her life in _more_ danger?" Nate didn't respond. He thought about that for a minute, then turned his back on Jason.

"I won't let them kill her." Nate said before taking off across the parking lot.

"Shane, go up to the room, see if mom and dad are back yet. If not, call them and Big Rob. Tell them everything. And tell them I went after him." Jason ran after Nate, before Shane had time to respond. By the time Jason had caught up with Nate, he was at the street flagging down a taxi.

"What?"

"If you have to go, I'm not letting you go alone." Nate nodded and ducked down into the car, followed by Jason.

"Big Mama's Pizzeria, 4th and Concord." Nate said to the taxi driver. It was a ten minute drive, with nothing but silence. The taxi left them on a poorly lit street at a small strip-mall in front of a sign that read, 'Big Mama's Pizzeria'. Behind the strip-mall was an empty building, with boarded up windows and a 'For Lease' sign stuck into the ground. Nate and Jason stood on the brown grass, looking upon the beat-up building. Nate wasn't sure of his next move. Should he just sneak in there and try to get to Maya?

Every possibility sounded stupid and impracticable, suddenly Nate found himself wishing he was in a movie where nothing is impossible. Silence engulfed the two as they stood face to face with the most surreal and impossible situation either had ever experienced. Nate finally turned and took a small step towards the building, followed by another. He could feel his heart thumping against his chest, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Nate jumped and almost screamed, but stopped himself realizing it was only Jason. "What are you doing? You're just gonna waltz in there and expect them to hand Maya over?"

"I don't know, but I have to do something."

"Well, I'd prefer to still have three brothers by this time tomorrow. So could you hold off on the whole getting yourself killed thing."

"What do you want me to do, Jason?" Tears began to well up in Nate's eyes again. "Just stand here while the abuse and possibly rape Maya. My Maya." Nate suddenly remembered the way Maya's face would light up every time he called her that. "I have to get her."

"Nate… I know how much it's eating you up, but there's nothing we can do until we've got the money."

"Why did you come with me Jason?"

"To talk you out of murdering yourself and possibly Maya in the process."

"No. If I die, Maya can escape." Jason finally understood. Nate was willing to die, if it meant keeping Maya from harm. His love ran deeper than Jason thought.

"You don't get it Nate. Even if you die, Maya can't get out of this mess without the money. If you die Nate, Maya will loose hope and if Maya looses hope, there's a better chance of her not getting through this." Tears leaked from Nate's eyes, but he wiped them from his face.

"I can't leave her here."

"What choice do we have?" Nate turned his back on Jason and ran his hands through his curly hair.

"It isn't supposed to be this way!" Nate exclaimed in frustration.

**A/N: Hey guys!! it might take a little longer for my next chapters, since ive been working on Stand in the Rain a lot. Review please!!**


	11. IMPORTANT!

**Another Author's note, i know I'm srry but this is REALLY IMPORTANT!! I AM CHANGING MY PEN NAME!! so there is no confusion i wanted to let you guys know. it will be TakeABreath. or something like that. I'll put it at the bottom of my profile too. -Jen**


	12. Comatose

**A/N: hey, srry it took forever to get this up and its short. ive been woking on my other story Stand in the Rain and its kinda taking up all my time. R&R!!**

**Chapter 11: Comatose**

Jason had convinced Nate to go back to the hotel and he finally slept for the first time in almost 24 hours. Maybe he was in Maya's bed with her teddy bear and pillow hugged to his chest, but at least he was sleeping. Connie refused to go back to the hotel, she stayed in tour bus. The next day Nate didn't awake until noon and only because Shane woke him up to take his insulin. Nate stumbled into the bathroom, took his shot, and slumped back down on the bed with Maya's teddy bear. Nate grabbed the remote at the side of the bed and clicked on the TV. He wasn't a huge TV fan, but he needed something to get his mind off things. No sound was coming out of the speakers and Nate was trying to make it work when he realized it was on a paused tape, so he pressed play.

Nate smiled, immediately realizing that it was an old home movie of him and Maya. He had dozens of these at home, but hadn't watched them in years. **(To clarify, everything in italics is what's going on in the movie, everything not in italics is not in the movie)**

"_Nate!"_ _Maya's 5-year-old voice came from off screen. The camera was pointing towards Nate, who was looking off in the direction of the voice._

"_Maya!" Maya ran on screen and they hugged each other. "I'm glad you came over!"_

"_Me too!! Let's play!" The camera turned off, then on. Nate and Maya were in the basement playing with blocks, when Maya suddenly jumped up._

"_What are you doin'?" Nate asked innocently._

"_I'll be right back!" Maya ran off screen and came back a minute later wearing a white Cinderella dress. "Natey! Will you marry me?" Nate jumped up and backed away a few steps._

"_Eww! No!" Maya started crying, so Nate ran over to her. "I'm sorry Maya, I'll marry you." Maya stopped crying immediately._

"_Yay!"_ _For the next five minutes of the movie, Nate and Maya went through a wedding ceremony. Nate had convinced Jason to be his 'best man' and Shane was the 'flower girl'._

Nate laughed, still hugging Maya's teddy bear to his chest. Just then, Shane walked in and joined Nate on the bed. "What are you watching?"

"Shhh!" Nate answered.

_Shane danced around the room throwing fake flowers everywhere, until Maya told him to stop it. Shane stopped for a second, but only to stick his tongue out at Maya. "Mommy! Shaney stuck his tongue out at me!" Maya yelled._

"_Shane Adam Gray!" Mrs. Gray chided from behind the camera._

"_Sorry…" Shane said rolling his eyes._

_Jason stood in front of Nate and Maya, pretending to be the priest. "Jason, you're supposed to be the 'man', not the talking guy!" Nate said. Jason ignored him completely._

"_You may kiss the bride!" Jason yelled._

"_Ewww!" Nate and Maya said at the same time._

"_How about a high-five!" Nate suggested. Maya agreed. They high-fived then ran off to the play kitchen. Maya pretended to make dinner as Nate acted as if he just got home from work. After a few minutes, being married got boring so they decided to play tag._

The movie ended and Nate sat smiling at the TV for a second then glanced over at Shane. "You were such a dork."

"Hey! I was not!"

"You're right, my bad, you _are_ a dork." Shane grabbed the pillow from behind him and hit Nate with it. They broke out in a full-fledged brotherly fight, ending with Nate in a headlock. This was good for Nate, he needed a break from his depressing thoughts. Suddenly Nate's cell phone began to ring. Nate broke from Shane's grip, hitting his shin on the corner of the bed-frame as he lurched forward, grabbing his phone just before it stopped ringing. "Hello?" Nate was winded from the fight.

"Hello Nicholas."

"Carlos." There was a pause, Carlos had forgotten that Maya had told Nate his name.

"You're down to thirty-six hours. I won't be making another call for thirty-five hours. I will call you and tell you where to make the exchange and how it will be made."

"Is Maya okay?"

"Maya's fine. Get the money and she'll stay that way."

"Let me talk to her, I need to know if she's okay." Nate heard some movement.

"Nate?" Maya's voice was tired and hoarse.

"Maya, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. They haven't hurt me, yet."

"Good." Nate could feel tears wetting his face. "I'm gonna get you out of there."

"Hurry, Nate, hurry." That was all Carlos let her say.

"Thirty-six hours." The line went dead and Nate rested the phone back on the table, before dropping back on the bed. He scooped the bear up in his arms and pulled it to his nose, taking in Maya's scent, which still lingered on it. Shane watched as Nate slipped back into his state of comatose. At least he got the real Nate out, even for just a few minutes.


	13. Eye For An Eye

**A/N: Hey guys, I know it's been forever since I updated this story. I honestly wasn't even working on it until last week. So this one's for you Kro22. Not my best, but bare with me...**

**Chapter 12: Eye For An Eye**

Maya sat in the windowless room by herself, for the moment at least. She had been strapped to the chair for two days. Her body ached, her head throbbed from dehydration, her stomach growled painfully, but she wouldn't loose hope. Nate loved her, he was out there looking for her, so she refused to let herself give up. She struggled against the bonds vainly, despite the pain the shot up her arms at the movement. Suddenly the door on the other side of the room and Carlos stepped in.

"Where's Lyle?" Maya's voice was rough from lack of sleep. It wasn't that she cared where Lyle was, she just hated being alone with Carlos.

"There's no use in struggling, it'll only hurt you." He said, ignoring her question, as usual. Maya scoffed.

"Like you care, you're gonna kill me anyway."

"Only if your little boyfriend doesn't do what he'd told." Carlos lied. Truth was when Nate showed up alone he'd kill them both and take the money. And if Nate decided to bring company with him, which Carlos highly doubted, he'd kill Maya and bail. Either way she was dead.

"What do you want anyway?" Carlos came in every hour to check on her, but he had just came in there not twenty minutes before. Carlos pulled a water bottle out of a bag Maya had just noticed slung over his shoulder.

"I actually just realized I haven't given you any water, I don't need you dying on me yet." He untwisted the cap as he walked closer to Maya and pressed the bottle to her bottom lip.

"Wait." Maya stopped him, prolonging her need for water. "Could I at least do it myself, save the little dignity I have left." Carlos paused, thinking for a moment, then withdrew the bottle from her lips.

"You try anything I won't hesitate to shoot you." Maya nodded and Carlos unlocked the chains the bound her right hand. He handed her the bottle and she downed three-fourths of it quickly. A surge of courage shot through Maya and before Carlos had the chance to suspect movement, she shot to her feet, dropping the water bottle and grabbed the gun from his hip holster. She spun so the chair was between them and sent a bullet through the chains, releasing her left hand. Everything happened so fast that by the time the water bottle hit the ground Maya had the gun steadily pointed at Carlos. He was stunned to say the least. Maya had suddenly taken the upper hand.

She was now very glad that she had fallen in love with 'Die Hard' at a young age, sparking her fascination with guns. Maya went to the shooting range with her mom when she could and had even gone hunting with Mr. Gray on occasion. Her aim was better than some police officers. Carlos was shocked, but what shocked him more is how easily she handled the gun in her hands, not hesitating to shoot the chains that were so close to her own flesh. Carlos stared down the barrel of the gun for a moment, before gaining his voice.

"So what now? Are you going to shoot me?" He said as if it was the most preposterous thing in the world.

"It's a possibility." Maya side stepped, keeping the gun trained between his eyes. Carlos did exactly what she wanted, side stepped in the other direction, making them circle.

"What makes you think I don't have another gun?" Maya smirked.

"Because if you did, you would have drawn it as soon as I shot the chain." Carlos narrowed his eyes, she was right. Maya continued her movement until her back was to the door. "Don't move, Carlos." She said, seeing his leg twitch. Maya backed up towards the door, gun still on Carlos. But suddenly the door opened and something hard connected with the back of her skull. Maya let out a grunt before darkness took her and she slumped to the ground.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Shane paced the length of the hotel room, fists clenched by his sides, trying to think of everything, anything to help Maya. Jason was sitting on the bed thinking as well, he glanced up a Shane and stood to his feet. "Shane, calm down. Sit." Shane turned to his older brother, fire burning in his eyes.

"Calm down?! How in the world am I supposed to _calm down_?!"

_Uh oh, here it comes._ Jason thought.

"We have a day and a half left to get two-hundred thousand dollars and you want me to calm down?! Those men are doing God-knows-what to Maya and you want me to calm down?! It's my fault Maya got taken and you want me to calm down?! How the HELL am I supposed to calm down?!"

"Shane, this isn't your fault." Jason said softly.

"Really?! Then whose was it? Huh?" A tear slipped down Shane's face as all his rage turned into remorse. "I could've stopped him." Jason pulled him into a hug.

"This isn't your fault, the man had a gun. There was nothing you could do." Jason felt Shane nod and they pulled away from each other. "Now come on. This isn't helping Maya, we have to go do something."

"Like what?" Shane asked, but before Jason could answer the phone rang. In two long strides, Jason had scooped up the phone in his hand and pressed it against his ear. A minute later, he set the phone back in its cradle and looked over at Shane. "What?"

"That was the police station, they want you to go in and see if you can identify the man who took Maya from some pictures." Shane nodded.

"Let's go."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Maya opened her eyes seeing nothing but bleary colors and blobs in front of her. Her head throbbed with a splitting headache, caused by whatever hit her head. Her wristed were chained again, tighter than before and her feet were as well. It was hot in the room, more so than before and her entire body surged with pain. She lolled her head in pain and her vision cleared, revealing Carlos sitting in a chair across from her.

"Ever hear of the Chachapoya Tribe, Maya?" She was chained to a chair and he was giving her a history lesson. Maya told him to go to hell, but it only came out as an inaudible groan. "They lived around the same time and place as the Inca. Some experts would say the Chachapoya were more fierce and had better weapons than the Incan, but because of their small numbers the Chachapoya were over taken by the Incas. A couple decades later the Spanish invaded South America. Now the Chachapoya had an important decision to make; they could either join the Spanish and fight to defeat the Incans, fulfilling their human desire for revenge, or they could help their captors and fight off the intruders." Maya finally found her voice.

"Why are you telling me…"

"Just listen." Carlos demanded. "Now where was I? Oh yes, the Chachapoyas, of course, decided to get their revenge and joined the Spanish, but as Gandhi said, 'an eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind'. Yes, the Spanish defeated the Incans with help of the Chachapoyas, but with them the Spanish brought diseases the Chachapoya had never experienced and had no immunity to such as smallpox, measles, and diphtheria. These diseases wiped out 90% of the Chachapoyan people. And the remaining 10% were either killed off of forced to move into isolation."

"That wonderful, but once again why…?" Carlos stood from his chair and bent over her so they were face to face, his hands gripping her bound wrists.

"I'm telling you this to remind you the revenge is deadly and you don't want to cross me." Maya cringed at the man's breath.

"Get off me." She spat. Carlos' eyes darkened and his mouth twisted into a sick smile. He pressed his lips against Maya's. Maya grimaced.

"Control yourself Carlos." Lyle said, walking into the room. Carlos pulled away from Maya and glared at him. Carlos stormed out of the room and Lyle followed him. Maya could hear them arguing outside the door.

"You need to mind your damn business, boy." Carlos said.

"She's what, 16? You can't kiss her. You ruined our last scam because of your sick fascination with minors, not this time." Maya attempted to hear more, but they talked quieter and after a minute, walked away.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Shane sat at a table with about twenty photos spread out in front of him. Nate and Jason sat at either side of him and Officer Green sat across from him. He studied each picture carefully, before moving onto the next photo. They had been looking at the pictures for a good ten minutes and everyone was growing impatient. Finally Shane picked up photo number 19 and he instantly knew without a doubt that it was the man who took Maya. He just starred wide-eyed at the picture for a minute, then looked up at the policeman.

"It's him." Officer Green took the photo and instantly frowned. Nate, Shane, and Jason watched the cop intently, waiting for an explanation. Green rested his hands on the table and looked solemnly at the boys.

"Are you sure?" Shane nodded and Green sighed. "This is Carlos Montoya. He was involved in gangs as a teenager, always in and out of Juvie and as he got older his crimes became more serious. As of right now he is wanted for the rape of three minors, assault, assault with a deadly weapon, robbery, and apparently kidnapping." Nate starred at the man for a minute, letting the terrible news sink in. Just what was this man doing to Maya?


End file.
